Somatosensory disorders involve several chronic clinical conditions that are characterized by the perception of persistent pain, unpleasantness or discomfort in various tissues and regions of the body. Such disorders may be associated with a state of pain amplification as well as psychological distress characterized by high levels of somatization, depression, anxiety and perceived stress. Somatosensory disorders are frequently associated with other comorbid somatosensory conditions.
It is generally accepted that impairments in CNS regulatory processes, as well as a host of other physiological, psychological and interminable factors, can contribute to the pain amplification and psychological dysfunction associated with somatosensory disorders. Genotypic factors also are present, and exert a strong influence on somatosensory processes. As described in International Patent Application Publication WO 2007/001324, individual variations of COMT, ADRB2, and/or ADRB3 genes can be utilized to determine pain response or pain perception characteristics of a subject and to predict susceptibility of the subject to develop somatosensory disorders and somatization.
Thus, it is possible to identify specific genetic polymorphisms that when present in an individual render that person vulnerable to development of somatosensory disorders when subjected to environmental factors such as physical or emotional stress.
As a concomitant undertaking to the characterization and predictive assessment of somatosensory disorders and the identification of individuals susceptible to them, there is a continuing need for effective pharmacological therapeutic agents for the treatment and prophylaxis of such disorders.